"Advances in brain science are calling into question the volition behind many criminal acts."

"A leading neuroscientist describes how the foundations of our criminal-justice system are beginning to crumble, and proposes a new way forward for law and order."

A fascinating article in The Atlantic by David Eagleman. It begins with a recount of the murders committed by Charles Whitman at the University of Texas in 1966. Whitman left a suicide note asking that his brain be examined for abnormality and, in fact, a tumor was found. The note also said:

It was after much thought that I decided to kill my wife, Kathy, tonight … I love her dearly, and she has been as fine a wife to me as any man could ever hope to have. I cannot rationa[l]ly pinpoint any specific reason for doing this...

Once you get past brain tumors pressuring specific areas of the brain that control aggression, fear, and impulse, it gets much more difficult.